For millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet in today’s down economy, a simple trip to the grocery store proves that what goes up doesn’t always come back down.

The farm commodity and gas prices that rose in 2008 quickly spiraled south.  But the price of food that went up in tandem has remained stuck at high levels.

The question everyone is asking is why.

When big food manufacturers increased food prices, they were quick to pin price hikes on farmers and fuel.  They even funded a multi-million-dollar smear campaign against farmers—specifically ethanol—to make their point.

A national poll conducted by Harris Interactive two weeks ago found that nine out of 10 Americans felt it was important to grow food at home instead of relying on imports.

Often times you’re told to play the hand you’re dealt, and after the 2008 farm bill was signed into law, Chuck Coley had planned to do just that.

A cotton and peanut grower in west Georgia, Coley is no stranger to the notion that in this business, you need to adapt.

As an active member of the cotton community, he and others spent two years working with Congress on designing a farm safety net that would assist growers but would still reduce taxpayer cost to meet the strict budget limits set for the 2008 farm bill.

“We played as a team, we made reforms, we slashed spending, and we came to the table with a good plan,” Coley said. “Farmers took the brunt of the farm bill budget cuts, but they stepped up to the plate to help lawmakers come up under the budget baseline.”